After a bump up this week, gas prices are expected to slide as much as 13 cents in the capital in the next two days, making Friday afternoon a good possible time to fill up.
Prices registered a five-cents-a-litre drop around town Thursday, after a climb of 10 cents or more a litre through the week.
And the outlook for Friday is for a further seven-to-eight-cent trim before the weekend.
The changes would keep Ottawa-area prices below the $2-per-litre level.
Roger McKnight, chief petroleum watcher with En-Pro International Inc., and other observers continue to stress that the conflict in the Middle East makes prices hard to pin down.
International markets were buoyed on Thursday after days of mixed messages from the U.S. administration over its strategy to end the war.
Iran said it was reviewing the latest American proposals to end the war after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a new wave of bombing unless a deal is reached that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.
Analysts say news of the potential peace deal has taken effect on the wholesale market.
Fellow analyst Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, has forecast in his newsletter that Ottawa-area gas prices should slide to $1.849 per litre Friday.
Nevertheless, McTeague has said volatility should be expected to continue for some time and prices can be expected to climb.
